The journal PLM IT Report briefly reported about our MDM. It was also the story on its front page with the headline: One source, one software, one plattform.

Unfortunately the story is only in german. If however somebody is interested, you can find the digital edition here (link) and of course on our website of the VESCON Group (link).

VESCON holds regular MDM training courses at the Frankenthal site to convey comprehensive practical knowledge within just 4 hours. The courses always start at 13:00 h.

Forthcoming dates:

NEW! Workshop for plant operators only: 30.10.2014

Registration: b.adler(at)vescon.com or mdm(at)vescon.com (for plant operators free of charge)

For device manufacturers: 17.09.2014, 22.10.2014, 12.11.2014

Registration: t.groening(at)vescon.com or mdm(at)vescon.com (for premium manufacturers free of charge)

For suppliers: 25.09.2014, 23.10.2014, 27.11.2014

Registration: registration form

We are continuously working on making MDM even more user-friendly and efficient. Here are some of the improvements which have been implemented in the last few weeks:

Shopping cart: Via the view "shopping cart" the user can compile device data in a list. This list can be filed and reloaded. For further information, please, refer to the online help system.

New Eplan P8 interface 2: This function will be released in the next MDM version! VESCON has completely revised the existing Eplan interface and provides the MDM users with both the new and the old version. The major differences between the new and the previous interface:

• The mapping function no longer writes the MDM information into the Free properties of the Eplan article data, but uses the standard Eplan fields. It describes exclusively the articles stored in the project but not the master data (article database)

• All article data are transferred to the MDM in a parts list, even if no MDM file has been allocated in Eplan via the mapping function

• The parts list is represented in the MDM with the respective device tags

• The Eplan documentation corresponding to the parts list is uploaded as a pdf file

• As soon as a project/MFL is assigned, an article preselection scheme is automatically created (approved articles)

Please note: VESCON will not continue further development of the Eplan interface!.

In the project structures not only parts lists from the CAD systems RUPLAN and Eplan P8, which are automatically transferred into the MDM via the respective interfaces during the parts lists analysis, but also Excel parts lists can be uploaded manually into the MDM.

In today's newsletter we would like to describe this function in detail.

For the Excel parts list import we need a clearly defined fixed Excel data format with column headings and particular mandatory fields in order to assign the columns.

Creation of an Excel template: In the tab "Parts lists" you can find the function "Save import template". The column headings of the created Excel file always bear the addition "(Import)" in order to allow the distinction from the actual MDM data at a later point in time.

Please note: Even exported device data which have been created during the Excel export in the tab "Table settings" can be imported as a parts list on condition that during the export the option "Parts list import Format" has been selected (mask Excel export, area Formatting / Columns).

Mandatory fields/columns 

The following mandatory data are needed in the Excel file for the import into MDM:

• Manufacturer
• Order number
• Number (Number must be greater than zero and only whole numbers are to be used, e.g. "15,0" is not allowed)

Please, edit only the columns with the ending (-Import) in the column heading.

Who can import - Mail to import: The user has to be authorized for the respective structure node or the structure node above in the following way (Tab Quick administration, OEM or supplier):

Read/write or Manager. If you are not authorized, please, apply to your OEM contact partner or use the application form "Request rights".

As the import may take some minutes, the user will be informed by mail as soon as the parts list is available in MDM.

The imported parts list is represented in the MDM with the corresponding meta data. A large part of these data is generated automatically.

They include, for example:

• Created on / created by
• Number elements
• Number without MDM ID

A double click on the parts list record opens the corresponding detail mask and further information for identifying the parts list data can be added (e.g. Project).

In the MDM a separate parts list is generated for each Excel spreadsheet. Thus it is possible, for example, to import several parts lists with one Excel file. The name of the spreadsheet is transferred into the name of the parts list in the MDM.

Checks after import: After the parts list import the imported data are checked and it is attempted to establish a relation to the data files already existing in the MDM. The parts list record is assigned to the MDM record according to MDM-ID, manufacturer and order number or just according to manufacturer and order number.

The following error messages are possible:

• MDM ID <> Manufacturer / Order number: The combination of MDM-ID, manufacturer and order number in the Excel parts lists does not correspond to the combination of this data in the MDM in terms of content. (Please note: The version number of the record (e.g. V2.1) does not belong to the MDM-ID).

• Manufacturer not found: The manufacturer named in the imported parts list has not been found in this spelling. This check compares the name with the contents of the data field "Manufacturer's name" and the stored "Variants of notations" (see view Device manufacturers including corresponding data, Tab. Properties). Please note: special characters and blanks in the manufacturer's name are ignored in this check.

• Device not found: The combination of manufacturer and order number could not be found in the MDM. This means that this device does not exist in the MDM. In this check special characters and blanks in the order number are ignored.

• Device in MDM not unique: The combination of manufacturer and order number occurs more than once in the MDM. For this reason a unique assignment is not possible.

• Invalid number of devices: The number of devices in the parts list must be greater/equal 1: Number zero is not allowed. In the field Number special characters (e.g. comma or dot) or letters are not allowed.

Via the function "Reassign MDM ID in parts list" the check can be repeated manually at any time. This assignment takes place cyclically via all parts lists, even automatically on the server.

Tips for dealing with errors:

• MDM ID <> Manufacturer / Order number: Check the data in the Excel list or delete the MDM-ID in Excel

• Manufacturer not found: Move to the view Device manufacturers with accompanying data and check if the manufacturer exists in a different spelling (also use the filter option above the table of the manufacturers, e.g. *pho*). When you have found the manufacturer, please transfer the spelling to your Excel spreadsheet. If the manufacturer does not exist, you have to make a request via the function "Request new manufacturer". Please note: Dealers and distributors cannot be counted among manufacturers.

• Device not found: Check if the device exists in the MDM with the order number being spelled in a different way (data field Order number). Is, for example, a type number used as an order number or are there additional characters in the order number? If the record does not exist in the MDM, clarify with your OEM contact person if a request "New device" should be made. It is very easy to make this request out of a parts list.

• Device in the MDM not unique: Please contact the respective device manufacturer or VESCON and indicate the corresponding MDM-ID

• Invalid number devices: Insert in Excel how often the device has been used (in column Number(Import)). If a device has not been used, delete the entry from Excel.

Approval check: In the MDM the imported parts list can be compared to the approved devices. In this check the imported data are set against the approved devices of the respective structure node.

If there is no approval list (MFL) allocated to the structure node or the node located above in the structure, only the project approvals (special approvals) are valid.

Among others, the following information is issued during the check:

• Comparable type
• Successor
• Active
• In the MDM
• Approved

This check may also consist in a comparison to a "stored status". Via "Stored status" it is possible to "freeze" a certain status of the approved devices (e.g. status when ordered)

If there are non-approved data in a parts list, these devices can be requested for simply via the request function "Approval for project". Please note: It is only the OEM who has the option to create a "Stored status".

Import accompanying documentation as pdf: Via the function "Add document" (Tab parts lists) it is possible to allocate a pdf-document to a parts list. This is then supposed to be the accompanying documentation of this parts list (Please note: The size of the pdf-file to be uploaded is limited to 30 MB).

Reactivating user account: Once a year VESCON checks by mail if the user is still reachable under his user name (e-mail address). If the user does not confirm this mail, his MDM account will be deactivated.

You may reactivate your account simply by mail to mdm(at)vescon.com; Ref.: Reactivation user account. A reactivation "on the phone" is not possible, as then the check of the mail address cannot be carried out.

Change password: In the MDM you can change the password in the menu File - Administration. Especially when you have used the function "Lost password", this option is recommendable.

The new password has to comply with the following standards:

• Minimum length of the new password is 8 characters

• The new password must not be identical with the user name

• The new password must not be identical with the last 12 passwords that were assigned

The new password has to fulfil at least three of the following requirements

• contains capital letters
• contains small letters 
• contains numbers
• contains special characters

If a device is missing: For this case, the workflow "Request new device" can be used.

Please note: If the device manufacturer is not existing in the MDM, you have to request for the manufacturer first. Distributors and resellers will not be accepted as manufacturers.

New status "Erroneous"

As in many cases the status "Locked" is not precise enough , the new status "Erroneous" will be introduced. Records identified as erroneous can neither be approved nor used in the CAD system. Erroneous data are e.g.: double records or entry errors.

In cooperation with Daimler, area Powertrain, VESCON is in the process of defining functions which allow an improvement of the data storage in the fields of mechanics and fluid technology. The target is to be able to manage also the data related to these fields via the MDM.

Universal approval

A universal approval allows the option of defining a simplified approval of device types and groups in approval lists or in projects (e.g. a complete series of a cable type or a valve series) Thus you can check also items of a parts list for which no corresponding devices exist in the MDM.

Components

A component is a record in the MDM which any number of further records can be allocated to. In the component record a universal order number is defined. If in the MDM parts list a component appears, this record can be broken down into all its individual underlying order numbers and displayed in the MDM.